Channel Nine have the TV rights for the next three years, say they're going into partnership with SA's biggest sporting festival.Liggett and Sherwin will again be commenting.Saturday and Sunday will be televised live and also live streamed.Sunday (Down Under Classic) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be a highlights show.So everything we have received from SBS in terms of TV seems the same.

Channel Nine were chosen to boost the national audience for cycling, and the first concrete measure they do to give the sport of cycling in an Olympic year a high profile in their daily schedule?That would be what any cycling fan might expect.

The five preliminary days highlights of the TdU will be shown at either 22.30 or 23.30.The SBS showed their commitment to the sport by getting the first highlights package broadcast at 18.00, all done from the tiny OB van parked at the finish line. The later highlights repeats were sometimes further edited for a repeat on SBS2.

Channel nine have enormous resources in sport, they will be broadcasting the Australia India Test Match from the WACA on the first weekend.

Channel Nine cannot deliver what SBS have done in the past.

Thing is Nine has three digital channels - 9, 90(Gem) and 99(Go!)There is no attempt to cross promote a half hour highlights programme on the alternate channels, AND BROADCAST AT A TIME WHEN CYCLISTS AND POTENTIAL CYCLISTS ARE LIKELY TO BE AWAKE TO WATCH IT.

I think Channel Nine have no idea about cycling at all, their scheduling does not match their PR spin. Steve Crawley, head of sport for nine, obviously hasnt the gravitas within the nine organisation to deliver what Australian cycling TV audiences have expected and received from SBS.

So Nine, you've started poorly, what are you going to deliver during the TdU that will make cyclists believe you are committed to improving cycling coverage in 2012 and beyond.

But to be serious for a moment: surely they could put this on one of their other channels. I know test cricket is more popular (hey, I like test cricket, can't be bothered with short form cricket though) and will get more coverage but why do they have 3 channels and buy the rights to this and not show it? Stupid.

DavidS wrote:But to be serious for a moment: surely they could put this on one of their other channels. I know test cricket is more popular (hey, I like test cricket, can't be bothered with short form cricket though) and will get more coverage but why do they have 3 channels and buy the rights to this and not show it? Stupid.

If SBS doesn't have it, you won't change that channel, so you are more likely to stay on 9 and watch shows for which they can get more advertising (e.g. cricket). They can't get anywhere near enough advertising money for a cycling event, especially since the event lasts for so long. On SBS is doesn't need to compete with cricket, AFL/NRL, olympics so it can be put in prime time.It works similar to the soccer where a big club would buy all the good players from a weeker club and even though these players will spend a lot of their time on the bench, the weaker club won't have them at their disposal.

DavidS wrote:But to be serious for a moment: surely they could put this on one of their other channels. I know test cricket is more popular (hey, I like test cricket, can't be bothered with short form cricket though) and will get more coverage but why do they have 3 channels and buy the rights to this and not show it? Stupid.

If SBS doesn't have it, you won't change that channel, so you are more likely to stay on 9 and watch shows for which they can get more advertising (e.g. cricket). They can't get anywhere near enough advertising money for a cycling event, especially since the event lasts for so long. On SBS is doesn't need to compete with cricket, AFL/NRL, olympics so it can be put in prime time.It works similar to the soccer where a big club would buy all the good players from a weeker club and even though these players will spend a lot of their time on the bench, the weaker club won't have them at their disposal.

Exactly. The benefit for 9 is not that they have it, it's that SBS don't. Possibly also stopping from 10/1 having it if cyclingSA have sprouted it to all the majors.

master6 wrote: Moderators are like Club Handicappers; I often think they are wrong, but I dont want the job.

So my theory goes like this.During each day of the TdU there is full tv filming, which is beamed down to the production OB van. The production people select their edits, Phil and Paul make their comments during the racing live. Channel Nein show their support for the biggest sporting event in Australia and take the production edits into a highlights package that is broadcast after three year old American repeats.

Is any of the TdU filming live broadcast to Europe as part of the contractual obligations for the UCI World Tour? These crazy euros and their love of cycling...Cos then restreaming from the usual places would be a definite alternative to Channel Nein.

A couple of the restreaming sites seem set up to deliver this for the TdU, though they are hedging

DavidS wrote:But to be serious for a moment: surely they could put this on one of their other channels. I know test cricket is more popular (hey, I like test cricket, can't be bothered with short form cricket though) and will get more coverage but why do they have 3 channels and buy the rights to this and not show it? Stupid.

If SBS doesn't have it, you won't change that channel, so you are more likely to stay on 9 and watch shows for which they can get more advertising (e.g. cricket). They can't get anywhere near enough advertising money for a cycling event, especially since the event lasts for so long. On SBS is doesn't need to compete with cricket, AFL/NRL, olympics so it can be put in prime time.It works similar to the soccer where a big club would buy all the good players from a weeker club and even though these players will spend a lot of their time on the bench, the weaker club won't have them at their disposal.

Exactly. The benefit for 9 is not that they have it, it's that SBS don't. Possibly also stopping from 10/1 having it if cyclingSA have sprouted it to all the majors.

That may well be true. But it does beg the question: what's in it for the TDU and for CyclingSA?

Television coverageIn 2012, the Santos Tour Down Under will be broadcast across the globe showcasing the WorldTour event while bringing the best of South Australia's beautiful beaches, wine regions and towns to television screens around the world.

Channel Nine - Wide World of Sports

Australian viewers can enjoy all the action of the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under on Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports.

Hosted by Andrew Voss, the Nine Network coverage will present extensive daily highlights and broadcast the final two stages live. The international voices of cycling, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, will provide expert roadside commentary.

In a first for the event, wwos.ninemsn.com.au will stream live coverage of the Down Under Classic, Jayco Stage 5 and Stage 6. Highlights packages will also be available each evening for Stages 1-4

This shouldnt come as a surpise to anybody really.......Channel 9 has a reputation for waiting until something gains popularity, then outbidding every other channel just so nobody else has it. Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup, etc etc etc.........I now refuse to watch any program on 9, such is my loathe for them........

I agree with the late highlights programming as being too late. SBS are a lot poorer these days and can't get into bidding wars. Don't know about Turtur, is he just a front man or a canny operator?

I'm no apologist for 9 but pre SBS getting into the TdF highlights in the early 90s, 9 was the only channel that showcased international ie Euro cycling in the mid to late 80s. (SBS had shown the Giro in the early 80s) so I'm forever grateful to nine for the highlights shown of PR and the Tour on a cold winter's Saturday arvo on WWOS. Even if I did have to put up with Ken, Max and Alan discussing "tactics and the yellow jacket".

Had one for a while now, worked a treat. Then we went digital (for 2011 le Tour) I've tried a dozen times to get a decent pic with indifferent success. Me mate Kon who does this stuff for a quid fitted an inline booster which improved things from snow to heavy rain. I might dust off the ol' VCR and try to remember to rewind...

...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.London Boy 29/12/2011

Mulger bill wrote:Had one for a while now, worked a treat. Then we went digital (for 2011 le Tour) I've tried a dozen times to get a decent pic with indifferent success. Me mate Kon who does this stuff for a quid fitted an inline booster which improved things from snow to heavy rain. I might dust off the ol' VCR and try to remember to rewind...

Got to agree with much of what has already been said. Highlights of the days stage at 11pm?? No, not real good. Surely, Nine could have replaced repeats of "two and a half men" (or similar) on one of its channels with a few hours of cycling each day? I'd love to understand what thinking (if any) went into this decision making process.Further, what the hell is Andrew Voss going to bring to it as a host? Nine could have at least tried to find someone with a background of racing.I note the earlier posts but can anyone actually post a link to a live stream so i can watch is live?cheers

Yep, 6pm every night on Gem and Go has old comedy repeats. Would the cycling really rate any lower?

Then again I probably wouldn't bother watching highlights for an hour on channel 9 as the highlights would consist of about 25 minutes of cycling, 10 minutes of inane chat, 15 minutes of ads and 10 minutes of station promos and ads for their other shows.

This is what I really hate about the coverage of the olympics. The idiotic comperes sit around droning on while 20 sports are happening live all around them. It's so bad it is close to unwatchable.

DavidS wrote:Yep, 6pm every night on Gem and Go has old comedy repeats. Would the cycling really rate any lower?

Then again I probably wouldn't bother watching highlights for an hour on channel 9 as the highlights would consist of about 25 minutes of cycling, 10 minutes of inane chat, 15 minutes of ads and 10 minutes of station promos and ads for their other shows.

This is what I really hate about the coverage of the olympics. The idiotic comperes sit around droning on while 20 sports are happening live all around them. It's so bad it is close to unwatchable.